Harmony for the Holidays
by Just Mione
Summary: Harry and Hermione spend the holidays together as friends, but they never realized how close they are until they spend some time alone together! HHG


Harmony for the Holidays

She looked at the dusty red and green boxes before her with a sad smile; one of the boxes was covered in more dust than the others, seven years worth of dust to

be exact. She opened the first box slowly, pulling out the contents with soft

touch not wanting to damage the tissue wrapped objects. Taking the edge of the

tissue paper she rolled the glass snowflake on to the couch.

She looked up at her lit Christmas tree with a sigh. *first muggle Christmas in

seven years* she thought as the first notes of _A White Christmas_ started playing

on the radio after the ads for toys and cars ended.

She continued to unwrap ornaments, making a few piles on the couch, while the

radio played old Christmas favorites. After about half an hour she heard the

front door open.

She stood and with a flourish, she drew her wand, inching out of her living

room, she saw her parents entering the house. They were dusted with snow and

carrying groceries in their arms.

"Oh let me help!" she said, raising her wand "_Wingardium Leviosa_," she pointed her

wand at the bags and they flew up into the air and she directed them to the

kitchen counter where she placed them down.

"Hermione, you didn't have to do that your mother and I had it." her father

scolded her as if she were a child

"Dan, she was just trying to help, there's no need to get mad."

"Well I don't like when you do magic in the house, after your memory

modification on your mother and I."

"I explained why I did that. It was to save your lives, from Voldemort and the

second wizarding war, they tore apart the house looking for me, they would have

killed you or tortured you to find out where I was." Hermione explained for the

millionth time "I said I'm sorry and I'll never do anything like that again, it

was just to protect you."

"I understand, Sweetie." her mother patted her shoulder

"I understand you wanted to protect us, but you didn't have to take our memories

away."

"Dad, in retrospect, that would have been a great solution, but I just wanted you

and mom to be blissfully happy and to not worry about me at all. If you were in

my position you would have done the same thing." she continued to argue

"Dan, Hermione, its Christmas time, let's decorate the tree and continue this

after the holidays."

"Ok." Dan said and followed his wife into the living room, leaving Hermione in

the kitchen. With a few waves of her wand, the groceries were put away and three mugs

of hot chocolate were made and poured.

Hermione walked into the living room with the mugs of hot cocoa. She handed one

to her mum, one to her dad, and the last one she placed on the coffee table.

They spent the next hour decorating the tree but they were cut short when

Hermione heard a pop and a sharp knock at the door.

"I'll get it." she said pulling her wand out and heading to the door. "Who's

there?"

"It's me, let me in." she heard Harry's voice

"Oh, come in." she said pulling the door open. "We were decorating the tree.

What brings you here?"

"Out shopping for Christmas presents and I decided to bring a bit of holiday

cheer over." he held up a six-pack of butter-beer

"Hermione, who's at the door?" her mother called into the hall

"It's Harry, mum." she said "Sorry, about that."

"No problem." he said as they walked further into the house.

"Wouldn't Ginny be annoyed that you were over here bringing holiday cheer?"

"No, I don't think she would be. She's been busy giving holiday joy to Dean and

probably a whole bunch of blokes."

"WHAT!"

"I caught her with Dean the other day at my flat."

"What did you do?"

"We broke up, she was cheating on me." he shrugged. "She was only with me for my

celebrity status." he laughed

She took the 6 pack from him and opened two bottles, one for herself, the other

for him. "Come in the living room, we were doing the tree, non-magic style."

"Ok" he said and followed her into the living room.

"Mum, Dad, this is my friend Harry from school. He was in the neighborhood so he

came by to bring some butter-beer over." she introduced him and soon her family

was drinking the butter-beer and decorating the tree.

They spent another hour putting ornaments on the tree, Harry and Hermione

sharing stories from Hogwarts' Christmases. By the end of the night, the tree

had a snow charm cast upon it, where it would snow above the tree then disappear

before it touched the floor, and Harry was invited to dinner on Christmas and

Christmas eve at the Granger's house. When he left that night, Hermione gave him

a kiss on the cheek and promised that they would go Christmas shopping together

tomorrow.

Hermione closed the door after he left with a smile on her face "The two of you

seem like more than friends." her mother said with years of experience behind

her words.

"No, mum, we really are just friends."

"That's what I said about your father. It's not a coincidence that he broke up

with his girlfriend so soon after you broke up with Ron."

"Ok." she rolled her eyes "I'm going to bed."

Hermione woke early to her alarm clock buzzing and 6 inches of snow on her

window ledge. She hit the off button on the clock and stood up to get dressed.

She grabbed her favorite dark blue jeans, her green cashmere sweater, and her

old school shoes, throwing her clothes on she fixed the frizz in her hair with a

charm.

An hour later, she was at the entrance to the mall waiting for Harry to get

there. Just as she sat down on a bench, Harry walked up holding two cups of tea.

"Hey Hermione!" he called as he walked over to her.

"Harry!" she stood up and he handed her a tea.

"Honey and lemon." he said

"How'd you know?" Hermione asked as they walked into the mall

He just gave her a look that said it all.

"Thanks." she said as they walked to their first store, a candle shop.

Four hours and a few hundred pounds later they both had all of their shopping

done except for their gifts for each other. Passing a store called Hot Topic,

Hermione saw the perfect gift for Harry but she didn't want him to be around

when she bought it. "Hey Harry I'm getting hungry, can you grab a table at

Outback and I'll be right there?"

"Yeah no problem."

She rushed into the store and found his size in the funny shirt that she HAD to

get him. Waited in line, paid, and walked to the restaurant with a smile on her

face.

Reaching the restaurant, she walked up to the hostess "Hi I'm here to meet-"

"Oh your husband is right over-"

"He's not my husband, he's not even my boyfriend, we're just friends." Hermione

explained

"Oh I'm sorry. Well he's over there." the hostess pointed at the back of Harry's

head

"Thank you." Hermione said and rushed over to where Harry sat

"So you made it?"

"Yeah." Hermione said sitting down, "Did you tell the hostess that I'm your

wife?"

"Merlin's beard, where did you get an idea like that?"

"She told me that my 'husband' was waiting for me." she air quoted the word

Husband, "Why do people keep assuming that we're a couple?"

"No idea." Harry said "Oh by the way I ordered you a raspberry iced tea."

"Thanks, that's my favorite." Hermione said figuring he knew that already

"I know." he smiled

Christmas eve caught up with Harry and Hermione quickly. Hermione was rushing

around her house getting appetizers and deserts ready, when the doorbell rang.

She wiped her hands on her Christmas apron and rushed to her front door a smile

plastered on her face. Opening the door, she was delighted to see Harry standing

there, a shopping bag in his hands.

"Happy Christmas, Harry!" she took the bag from him

"Happy Christmas, Hermione. Just be careful with the bag." he said and walked

inside the house.

"Ok" Hermione said, turning around to lead Harry to the living room

"You've got a little something on your jeans, looks like flour." Harry said

following her.

"Can you get it for me, I know I'll just make it worse?" she knew exactly where

the flour was: her rear.

"er... Sure." he quickly wiped the flour off her butt, as her mother came

into the living room.

"This isn't what it looks like, I had flour on my butt, and Harry was getting it

off for me."

"Ok." her mother left the living room

Through the whole next hour more people arrived and Harry was trying to help in

the kitchen, which made Mrs. Granger shoo him out of the kitchen.

Hermione, after cooking and changing her pants, introduced Harry to her family

before they all went to the table to have dinner. After dinner Harry pulled a

box of honeydukes chocolate out of his shopping bag along with a bottle of

firewhiskey.

"I wanted to bring something over." he said when Hermione questioned him

"You didn't have to." she said as her eleven-year-old cousin, Randa, ran into

the hallway, where Harry and Hermione were standing.

"Randa what are you doing?"

Randa's answer came when she held missile toe over Harry and Hermione's heads.

"Its missile toe, you have to kiss!"

"Fine." Hermione said and kissed Harry on the cheek and he did the same. Turning

to Randa, Hermione said, "Happy now?"

Randa ran away, giggling, into the living room where the whole family was

standing, watching them.

"Harry brought some desert for us; I'll put it on the table." Hermione said and

went into the kitchen, Harry following her. "Well that was embarrassing."

"Does your family think that we are a couple?"

"I think so, but I introduced you as a friend. Oh well, they're nuts anyway."

she arranged the chocolates onto a platter

"Let me help. I'll carry something to the table." he insisted

"Take your chocolate and the firewhiskey." she said grabbing a platter of

bisects and a treacle tart.

"Ok." he said and she motioned for them to go to the table.

"Desserts on the table!" Hermione called, which made the family slowly gather

around.

Everyone that was of age had a shot of the firewhiskey and everyone ate the

chocolate and bisects, which drove many people to ask where Harry got the drink

and chocolates.

With a quick glance at Hermione, he said, "A friend gave me the whiskey and I got

the chocolate at a small sweet shop."

After the family had left, Hermione flopped onto couch with Harry and the half

drunken bottle of firewhiskey. Harry's eyes drooped closed behind his glasses as

Mr. and Mrs. Granger walked in the room.

"Would you like to stay the night, Harry? I could make up the couch for you."

Mrs. Granger smiled seeing how tired he was.

"I'd like that, thank you." Harry said. "Oh let me give you your gifts!" he

stood up, went into the hallway, and brought his shopping bag over.

As he did that Hermione got up and grabbed a wrapped box from under the tree.

Harry came back and started pulling objects out that we're much too large to fit

in the bag without a charm. Hermione shook her head at him, "Stole that idea

from me, huh?"

He just smiled as he handed her mother her gift, a blouse and matching scarf.

Next, he handed her father his gift, a hat and scarf set. Then he handed Hermione

her gift, it was the biggest one from the magic bag.

"Harry what did you-"

"Just open it." he nudged her

She slid the red and gold paper off of the sharp corners and gasped when she saw

the best gift ever.

"It's a bo-"

"I know what it is!" she scolded him, it was her magically expandable bookshelf

that gave the person that is looking for a book the correct one when they say

the name or the subject. "Oh Harry, I love it!" she said throwing her arms

around him

"Your welcome." he said as she handed him his gift

"Its not as good as your gift, but it's perfect for you." she said

"I'm sure I'll love it." her said and tore the paper off the box. He opened

the box and took out his gift a black t-shirt that had the words 'scars are just

a tattoo with a cool story attached' in bold white letters. Harry started

laughing, "I love it!" he hugged her and gave her a kiss on the lips

"Harry!" she pushed him back

"I'm sorry!" he gasped

"Come on Dan, let's go to bed, and leave the kids alone." Mrs. Granger said and

they left the living room

"Hermione I'm so sorry it was the mo-"

Hermione leaned over and kissed him back. "I felt like doing that when you gave

me my gift, too." she said

Harry sat there shocked. "So what do we do about us?"

"Well we could be a couple or stay friends, it's really our choice." she said

His answer was to lean over and kiss her again.

"So should I take that as you want to be a couple?"

"Should I continue to say yes to you?"

"If you must." she said with a smile as he kissed her again.

THE END

Happy Holidays!


End file.
